Billy Tipton
Billy Lee Tipton (born December 29, 1914 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , † January 21, 1989 ) was an American jazz pianist and saxophonist . Tipton was born as Dorothy Lucille Tipton, but soon began to appear, first professionally and later also privately, as Billy Lee Tipton (and thus as a man).
Life
Billy was born as Dorothy Lucille Tipton. Around 1933, Tipton began performing as a man and joined a band in Kansas City .
During the Great Depression and World War II , Billy played with the bands of Jack Teagarden and Ross Carlyle, among others . In 1954, Billy founded the Billy Tipton Trio with drummer Dick O'Neal and bassist Ron Kilde. They released two albums on Tops Records in 1957 and played together for over ten years. "Shortly before the breakthrough to national fame", Tipton turned down offers for a long-term engagement in Reno (Nevada) and for a record deal comprising 5 albums - as Ursel Schlicht suspects "to protect her secret". Tipton now settled in Spokane as a music agent , but continued to perform there with his trio on weekends until 1970.
Tipton has been married five times, the last time since 1960 to nightclub dancer Kitty Oakes. Billy told the wives about a serious car accident that should have caused open rib injuries, genital mutilation and sterility. Billy adopted three boys and was a scout leader . Only Billy's family of origin knew of the female beginnings.
In early 1989, Tipton suffered from bleeding ulcers but refused to see a doctor. After Tipton's death, the family's undertaker gave Tipton's biological sex. All women, sons and fellow musicians said they did not know that Billy was physiologically a woman.
Billy has never stated the reasons for the gender atypical behavior. Billy's behavior and clothing were mostly more or less accepted due to his status as an artist, although Billy did not initially try to appear as a "real" man. Taking on the male role , on the other hand, gave Billy the opportunity to work as a jazz musician, which was almost impossible for women at the time.
tribute
- In 1991 the folk musician Phranc dedicated the song "Tipton" to Billy .
- The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet is a successful American women's jazz band founded in 1989, which has since shortened its name to The Tiptons Sax Quartet .
literature
-
Diane Middlebrook : Suits Me - The Double Life of Billy Tipton , Houghton Mifflin Comp., Boston / New York 1998, ISBN 978-0-395-65489-7
- German: He was a woman. The double life of jazz musician Billy Tipton . From the American. by Uta Goridis. Piper / Malik Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-89029-136-8
- Jackie Kay: Trumpet . A novel. Picador, London 1998, ISBN 978-0-330-33145-6
- German: The trumpeter . From the English by Susanne Goga-Klinkenberg . Argon Verlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-87024-493-3 ; als Fischer Tb., Frankfurt 2002, ISBN 3-596-15059-0
Web links
- www.br-online.de - Calendar sheet on Tipton at Bayerischer Rundfunk ( Memento from August 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ).
- Interview with Tipton's biographer (English)
- fm4.orf.at about Tipton's possible motives for gender bending
- www.mountainpridemedia.org ( Memento of January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) - Tipton's transformation into a man
Individual evidence
- ↑ U. Schlicht “It's Gotta Be Music First.” On the meaning, reception and work situation of female jazz musicians. Karben 2000, p. 182
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tipton, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tipton, Dorothy Lucille (maiden name); Tipton, Billy Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 29, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 21, 1989 |